FOOTBALL – THE Asian Cup has been postponed from early 2027 to December next year, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said yesterday following continued attacks on hosts Saudi Arabia by Houthis.
A strike on Riyadh’s international airport last month killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with the Houthi movement claiming responsibility for the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
The attacks have raised more questions over whether the Asian Cup could go ahead as scheduled from January 7 to February 5. Yesterday, the AFC said the 24-team tournament would now take place from December 23 next year to January 21, 2028.
The competition’s organising committee said the tournament had been rescheduled in light of the “exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions”.
“The new dates of the tournament will be presented to Fifa for approval,” it added.
“Exceptional circumstances have been created for the organisation and delivery of the competition as originally scheduled, making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders.”
Yasser Al-Misehal, head of the local organising committee for the Asian Cup, said Saudi Arabia had been fully prepared to host the tournament as scheduled.
“We will continue our work with the same momentum leading up to the tournament’s new dates in December 2027,” Al-Misehal told the Saudi state news agency. “We are working closely with the AFC and all our partners to ensure a seamless, high-standard organisational experience, and to deliver an exceptional edition worthy of both the kingdom’s stature and the AFC Asian Cup.”
The Saudi government has invested heavily in sport through its Public Investment Fund in recent years and the Asian Cup was pitched as an early rehearsal for hosting the World Cup in 2034.
Saudi Arabia have won the Asian Cup three times but have never hosted the continental tournament. Yesterday’s postponement will also force several nations across Asia to make a decision about their coaches, with several contracts due to run out in February, when the Asian Cup had been to conclude.
Australia’s Tony Popovic, Japan’s Hajime Moriyasu and Iraq’s Graham Arnold are among the coaches whose contracts expire early in 2027.
The Asian Cup, traditionally staged in odd-numbered years, had been set to switch to an even-year cycle beginning with the 2032 tournament.
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